In 1980 archaeologists investigated an apparently unremarkable tomb under a building site outside Jerusalem. They found a number of ancient bone boxes or ossuaries and a series of names that sparked a sensational claim: that this unremarkable tomb could contain the remains of Jesus Christ, his family, and shocking evidence he wasn’t resurrected. But married? And that he even had a son. Lost Tomb of Jesus?
‘Jesus, Son of Joseph’: this find sparked an international archaeological drama. ibid.
It was the names apparently etched on the bone-boxes inside that captivated those who formulated the sensational Jesus tomb theory. As well as the ‘Jesus, son of Joseph’ translation there were several other interpretations of names that led to the stunning suggestion Talpiut could be the family tomb of Jesus Christ. There was Maria in Hebrew, a form of Mary; another name was interpreted as Mariamne, written in Greek – perhaps another form of Mary. There was also a Jose in Hebrew, a nickname for Joseph. ibid.
But recently an ossuary appeared on the Israeli antiquities market bearing the inscription ‘James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus’ ... But subsequent investigations have cast grave doubts over the so-called James ossuary. ibid.
Even if the flawed translations are right, the apparently impressive cluster of names is actually statistically unremarkable. All of these names were common at the time. ibid.
The Talpiut tomb is buried beneath this concrete slab in a suburb on the edge of Jerusalem. ibid.
If a crucified man was buried at Talpiut, the signs would have been hard to miss. ibid.
It’s 1922 ... Howard Carter is about to make the most amazing archaeological discovery of all time. Days that Shook the World s1e7: Tutankhamun/Rosetta Stone, BBC 2003
Sussex ... [Gideon] Mantell is convinced he has in his possession a set of fossils that will not only transform man’s understanding of the prehistoric world but will secure his reputation as England’s greatest amateur geologist. Days that Shook the World s2e7: Dinosaurs and Duplicity, BBC 2004
The common belief is they are the remains of animals drowned in Noah’s flood. ibid.
By May 1822 Mantell felt confident enough to present his work in a book on the geology of Sussex. ibid.
But a chance discovery by Mary [Mantell] that was to turn the world of natural science on its head ... It appeared to be the fragment of some sort of giant tooth. ibid.
Mantell – the first man in the world to discover a plant-eating dinosaur. ibid.
1953 ... Scientists are about to expose the most audacious fraud in the history of archaeology ... In November 1912 a startling discovery was announced of the remains of what was claimed to be the earliest known human being. The finds were made in a gravel pit in the village of Piltdown in Sussex. ibid.
Since the 1950s several of Charles Dawson’s earlier archaeological finds have also been re-examined and proven to be forgeries. ibid.
The most daring fraud in the history of science. ibid.
This is the story of a disaster like no other. When Mount Vesuvius erupted it rained seven a half million tons of debris onto Pompeii. It sealed the fate of more than a thousand people. But it also sealed the city in. Preserved it. Protected it. Like nowhere else on Earth the rediscovered Pompeii gives us access to the ancient world. And now with new findings and new insights we can tell the story of the ordinary people caught up in this disaster. Rome Revealed: Doomsday Pompeii s1e3
If you look at practically any of the writings of the ancient civilisations – the ancient Sanskrit writings of India are the ones that I’m most familiarity with – but they speak of space-ships, of weapons resembling our modern weapons; they had apparently the ability to look inside the human embryo and see what was going on. So it appears yes ancient peoples did have quite a bit of knowledge, some of it we are re-discovering. Michael Cremo, author Forbidden Archaeology, radio interview Hidden History of the Human Race
A case in Oklahoma in Heavener, where you had some coal miners going down two miles beneath the surface of the Earth, and they were blasting out what they called rooms in the mine ... and they found a wall. And this wall according to the report was made of six-inch polished blocks of stone. ibid.
Archaeology first began with a quest for ultimate truth. Dr Richard Miles, Archaeology: A Secret History I: In the Beginning, BBC 2013
Archaeology has its own history. ibid.
Constantine’s endorsement of Christianity set the foundations for an indisputable religious dogma and the power of the medieval church. ibid.
The Father of Archaeology – [Ciriaco de’] Pizzicolli. ibid.
Priceless treasures, ancient ruins, and the fragile remains of long dead people. Archaeology isn’t like written history; it’s the very stuff of the past. Dr Richard Miles, Archaeology: A Secret History II: In Search of Civilisation
Herculaneum: not only statues and houses but whole streets. ibid.
160 academics Napoleon took with him to Egypt. ibid.
The discovery of the Sumerians pushed back the dawn of civilisation by several thousand years. ibid.
A sophisticated and previously unknown civilisation right in the heart of the Mexican jungle. ibid.
Schliemann used his fortune to follow his dream, one of the most elusive prizes in archaeology: the ancient city of Troy. ibid.
Modern archaeology begins with [Augustus] Pitt-Rivers. ibid.
An age driven by a quest for scientific objectivity. But also by passions – a lust for fame and glory. And the lure of powerful forces – the new and sometimes extreme politics. Dr Richard Miles, Archaeology: A Secret History III: The Power of the Past
[Charles] Dawson: the Wizards of Sussex ... In 1912 he topped the lot: Piltdown Man ... Every one of the finds had been forged. ibid.
1922: archaeologist Howard Carter made the discovery of a lifetime. ibid.
So these three men, these three thinkers, Marx, Einstein and Freud in many respects would set the agenda for archaeology in the twentieth century. Ordinary man, science and the workings of the inner mind. ibid.
Archaeology really is a work in progress. ibid.
It’s interesting to see that people had so much clutter even thousands of years ago. The only way to get rid of it all was to bury it, and then some archaeologist went and dug it all up. Karl Pilkington, An Idiot Abroad: The Travel Diaries of Karl Pilkington
As my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold – everywhere the glint of gold. For the moment – an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing by – I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously, ‘Can you see anything?’ it was all I could do to get out the words, ‘Yes, wonderful things.’ Howard Carter
Archaeology is the search for fact. Not truth. If it’s truth you’re interested in, Doctor Tyree’s Philosophy class is right down the hall. So forget any ideas you've got about lost cities, exotic travel, and digging up the world. We do not follow maps to buried treasure, and X never, ever marks the spot. Seventy per cent of all archaeology is done in the library. Research. Reading. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989 starring Harrison Ford & River Phoenix & Sean Connery & Alex Hyde-White & Denholm Elliott & Alison Doody & John Rhys-Davies & Julian Glover & Michael Byrne & Robert Eddison & Alexei Sayle et al, director Steven Spielberg
To archaeologists, the human past is owned by no one. It represents the cultural heritage of everyone who has ever lived on Earth or will live on it in the future. Archaeology puts all human societies on an equal footing. Brian Fagan, 1996
Archaeology is the study of humanity itself, and unless that attitude towards the subject is kept in mind archaeology will be overwhelmed by impossible theories or a welter of flint chips. Margaret Murray, 1961
The trend of all knowledge at the present is to specialize, but archaeology has in it all the qualities that call for the wide view of the human race, of its growth from the savage to the civilized, which is seen in all stages of social and religious development. Margaret Murray
Archaeology is not a source of illustrations for written texts, but an independent source of historical information, with no less value and importance, sometimes more importance, than the written sources. Michael Rostovtzeff
Archaeologists do not discover the past; they work on what remains. Archaeology is about our relationships with what is left of the past. And more – archaeology is the discipline of things – the history of design, how people get on with the material world, materiality itself. Michael Shanks
Every great anthropologic and palaeontologic discovery fits into its proper place, enabling us gradually to fill out, one after another, the great branching lines of human ascent and to connect with the branches definite phases of industry and art. This gives us a double means of interpretation, archaeological and anatomical. While many branches and links in the chain remain to be discovered, we are now in a position to predict with great confidence not only what the various branches will be like but where they are most like to be found. Henry Fairfield Osborn
Archaeology is destruction. Mortimer Wheeler, Archaeology from the Earth, 1954
An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets the more interested he is in her. Agatha Christie